Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.

Ensure that all outdoor hoses are disconnected from the spigot.

Locate your main water shut off valve and learn how to turn it off in the event that you encounter a frozen pipe that bursts.

If you encounter any frozen pipes or home damage, make sure you contact your insurance agent right away and get help setting up a claim. If you can, do your best to protect your home from continuing damage but make sure you protect yourself and your family first.

If worst comes to worst, most home insurance policies have coverage for additional living expenses that will help pay for you to stay somewhere else if your home is damaged from a claim and you cannot stay there. Hopefully, repairs would be minor and not take a considerable amount of time, but most home insurance policies provide money for 1-3 years (depending on the company) of additional living expenses. As always, you should review your coverage and protection once every 12-24 months to make sure you’re covered the way you should be (and the way you think you are) just in case you need to file a claim.